Anywhere But Here
by girlwithglasses1886
Summary: Alice Gehabich is arranged to be married to the Count Klaus and Shun Kazami is the ideal ninja. A chance encounter one afternoon would soon change their lives forever. SxA, set in the mid 1800's. Rated T for future language and events.
1. Chapter 1: Shun

Anywhere _But Here_

 ** _Chapter 1: Shun_**

A pair of chocolate brown eyes peered through the holes of a white-painted gazebo, dainty, small fingers gently grasping a part of one of the many wooden beams, before finding that the garden, beautifully decorated with assortments of different, colorful flowers and bushes was isolated. The owner of the eyes and dainty fingers, Alice Gehabich, let out a breath of relief as she slumped onto the white gazebo. She sighed uncomfortably. Who could blame her? Her flame-like orange hair that cascaded down her back was pinned back tightly in a fancy bun, her toes were pinched by a pair of yellow high heels, and her heavy, sleeveless, yellow ballgown with a corset top made it difficult for her to move. Courtesy of her future husband, Klaus Von Hertzon.

It was an arranged marriage. And as much as Alice hated that she had to marry Klaus, she couldn't blame her family. Her mother and father died in a terrible horse and carriage accident when she was five, leaving her grandfather, Dr. Gehabich, to take care of her. Even though her grandfather was a respected scientist, his studies and work did not do a thing to help him, but instead made him in debt to the Von Hertzon family. Unable to pay the rich, noble family, Dr. Gehabich was forced to marry Alice off to their son, Klaus, on his twenty-third birthday. Alice would be eighteen then.

At sixteen, Alice dreaded the two more years in which she would have to marry him.(It wasn't that Klaus was a bad person. Oh no. It was...he never seemed to understand her. He was a gentleman, charming, polite. But at times, he was...boring. And at times, Alice wished that she had other friends, anyone was more interesting. Those ninjas that her grandfather and staff members of Klaus' palace had told her about must be more interesting than him. He was not one up for an adventure. His idea of a fun was playing chess, conversations of science, business, and hosting parties with other business owners or rich nobles. Alice never heard him once talk about anything imaginative or creative, so when he offered her a game of hide-and-seek, Alice jumped on that chance. However, it had been such a long time and still, Klaus could still not find her.

She heard fast swooshing sounds past her. Alice frowned. It couldn't be Klaus. There were leaves all around her. If he were to come looking for her, she should have heard the leaves crackling then. She stood up and peered through the gazebo's holes, her fingers grasping the wooden beam, trying to find him. No one. Frowning, she stepped out of her hiding spot and was about to leave when something up on top of the gazebo caught her eye. Looking heavenward, Alice expected to find Klaus but instead she didn't find the blue haired, green-eyed older male, who was dressed in a black suit and blue tie with matching shoes. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of hazel eyes, black, shoulder length hair, male dressed in a nearly all green outfit, with a mask that covered his nose and lips. A ninja. Alice gasped and her eyes widened out, as the intriguing ninja jumped from the top of the gazebo and landed near her feet. She looked at the male with curiosity as he rose up from his knee and dusted himself off.

"Are you a ninja?" She asked the obvious and mentally chided herself for asking such a question.

The male chuckled, his voice somewhat deep. "Aren't you a noble?"

Alice was stunned. How could she answer that question? "Ah...well...uh-I-um..."

The ninja chuckled once again and the girl felt a small blush creeping up. She stuck out her hand in a handshake. "Alice Gehabich."

He lowered his mask, which revealed the rest of his face. A somewhat sharp jawline, and the smallest of the smallest smirks crossed his lips. He took her hand, and his hand felt calloused against her smooth hand, turned it to the front of her hand, and pressed his lips against it. Alice immediately blushed and he looked into her eyes, chuckling a bit.

"Shun Kazami."

Before any of them could say anything, voices called out. "Your Highness? Your Highness! Please come out, milady! The mansion has been robbed! Please come quick!" Through the holes of the gazebo, a few servants of Klaus' had been roaming the garden, trying to find her.

The male next to her scoffed grimly. "I suppose my time's up." In one swift move, he unclasped a piece of jewelry from around his neck-that she quite frankly didn't know he donned-and threw it at her. The girl caught it with stumbling hands. With a quick salute, and a smirk, he added, "Goodbye, Alice." And with that, in a blink of an eye, the ninja jumped over the tall, brick wall and out of sight.

"Goodbye...Shun.." She murmured all too late, having to blink twice to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But the dark green choker in her hands made a point all on its own.

 **•**

 **•**

 **•**

"Hmm, let me see here. 100 large pieces of gold and 86 precious jewels. For less then ten minutes in that mansion, you have yet again brought back quite a bit. As of expected of you, Shun." A middle-aged silver-haired male smirked as he handed the prodigal ninja a stash of money.

"Quite easy, if you ask me." The raven-haired shrugged as he accepted the bag along with a piece of paper. "What's this?"

"I've another assignment for you, but not for now. Masquerade will explain it too you. You're excused." The older male adjusted the makeshift crown that was made out of tree braces and some animal's horns as Shun walked out of the room. Outside, he noticed Masquerade, another prodigal ninja, who was leaning on the wall that conjoined the room that Shun was just in to the other rooms.

"Masquerade." The raven-haired nodded.

"Shun." The blonde grinned slightly, rising from his leaning position. "That old man paired us up with some others."

"Not my style, but you know how he is." The other scoffed.

"Shun, where is your choker?" The masked male asked rather coolly, pointing at his fellow ninja's neck, where a dark green choker that was resting on the other's neck was now gone. "I could have sworn you were wearing it this morning."

Shun only smirked as he walked off, leaving an amused blonde behind. "Well, Masquerade, where's your mask?" The raven-haired continued walking, holding up a pair of large silhouettes, all the while not looking back.

Masquerade panicked a bit before breaking into a grin, "Why you, son of a-"

 **End of Chapter 1.**

Note: Whoo! I'm sorry that this is pretty confusing! If you are confused, feel free to PM me for some clarification and whatnot. Also, I apologize for deleting the story, since I seriously needed to rewrite a few things and whatnot. Please review your thoughts, opinions, comments, and so forth.


	2. Chapter 2: Ren

**Note: Guess who's BARELY alive?! Not this gal! I am extremely sorry for not updating for quite some time and especially for this story. I was more focused on 'Beautiful Eyes' and the other stories from my other fandoms, so that's the reason why I neglected this story. Enough said. Here's Chapter 2 up and ready! But before that, here are some responses to your reviews:**

 _Cup of Violet Tea: Thank you for reading and reviewing my story! Anyways, Alice and Klaus were playing a game of hide-and-seek and Alice was hiding when she first met Shun. I apologize for not putting his hair length in the first chapter. His hair length will be the same as it was in Mechtanium Surge as well as his outfit, just so you know. :)_

 _CookieDecor22: Thank you for reading my story! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Ooh, that OVA sounds interesting! If you don't mind me asking, what is the name of that OVA? And yes, she is still sixteen and I'll be explaining about her grandfather's whereabouts in this chapter. Hmm, I'll be explaining a bit about the importance of Shun's choker soon, so be on the lookout ! ;)_

 _InnocentDiamond: Haha, high heels are a pain, huh? In the first chapter, Alice questions if Shun is a ninja and he shoots her a question of his own. And now that you've mentioned it, Mira's choker does look like a Sailor Soldier tiara! ^^_

 _Guest pretty prttey: Thank you for reading my story! I personally like the Victorian era, so I'm trying to make the story seem a bit like it , but with some twists of mine. I appreciate you pointing out my typos, but I am curious. Did you purposely spell pretty as 'prttey' or is that a typo? ;)_

 _ **Chapter 2: Ren**_

Nearly three months had passed since her encounter with the intriguing ninja and Monday morning had Alice in the kitchen, washing the breakfast dishes. A small smile was across her face, a hum passed her lips and a certain dark green choker was hidden in the pocket of her white apron. She had made it a sort of necessity to bring that choker with her, though she never wore it out in public. She was in her grandfather's small, but comfortable house, waiting for a carriage sent by Klaus to retrieve her back to the mansion. The young girl wondered why she was cheerful, for she dreaded Mondays with her whole heart.

When Dr. Gehabich regrettably gave his beloved granddaughter to the Count Klaus, Alice was allowed to visit her grandfather on the weekends only. She would come to her grandfather's house via horse drawn carriage every Saturday morning and would be brought back to the mansion every Monday morning. But for Alice, it wasn't enough. She wanted to live in her grandfather's house until she was to be wedded to Klaus in two years, but her future husband would not allow it, insisting that the longer she was with him, the sooner she would grow to love him. It didn't work and deep down, Alice had a feeling that she would never grow to love him. However, she was still grateful for the small amount of time she got to spend with her grandfather.

The clicking and clacking of horse hooves coming closer to the small house was all the warning the girl needed. With a silent sigh, she wiped the last dish and untied her apron, hooking it on a hook. Alice quickly walked into her room and grabbed her small bag that contained some necessities for her weekend stay at her grandfather's.

"Alice, dear." The orange haired beauty turned around to see her grandfather at the doorway of her old room. "They're here."

She forced a smile. "Yes, I have heard the horses approaching, Grandfather. Thank you for letting me stay here this weekend." The sixteen year old girl embraced her grandfather, who hugged her back shakily.

"I don't deserve you for a granddaughter...my fault and you had to pay the price...You didn't do anything to deserve any of this, Alice." Michael Gehabich sobbed slightly, though he knew that nothing he said would change her horrible fate.

"It's fine, Grandfather," Alice forced back a sob, trying to be strong. It was almost a weekly routine for her grandfather to get emotional, and no matter how any times Alice mentally prepared herself for it, it was impossible to be fully strong every Monday morning. "I'm quite fine in the palace, really. We were in debt and I know that you did everything you could, please don't apologize."

"Alice, I-" The scientist started to say before a knock on the door interrupted.

"Dr. Gehabich, Count Klaus would like Lady Alice to come back to the mansion as soon as possible, please ."

The old man wiped off his tears and hugged his granddaughter once more. "Goodbye, Alice. I will see you this weekend."

"Goodbye, Grandfather. I can't wait." As she bent down to pick up her bag, her grandfather stopped her.

"Dear, you forgot your necklace in your apron." With that, the old man clasped the dark green choker around her neck.

Alice smiled, touching it gingerly. "Thank you, Grandfather." Her grandfather smiled as he kissed her forehead, and walked her out the door. At the door, a servant took her bag for her and helped her into the carriage, to which she thanked.

"My pleasure, milady. Quick, we must hurry." The male servant swiftly closed the door to the carriage shut before taking his place on the perch and riding off to the mansion.

"Excuse me, sir, but is there a reason we must be at the mansion in such a hurry?" Alice asked as the carriage rushed by the town.

"Ah, well, you see, milady, for one, there have been many incidents of ninjas robbing carriages like these, and the Lady Fabia of Neathia will be coming to the Von Hertzon Manor soon and we must get you ready." The servant answered as the horse kept on galloping faster and faster. Alice leaned into her seat and watched as the small town of Wardington that she grew up in quickly faded and the Von Hertzon Manor took its place.

Stepping out of the carriage, the young girl was whisked off to her room to get changed into something else. She honestly didn't know what was happening. One minute, she just stepped out of the carriage and the next thing she knew, she was sitting in front of a vanity, dressed up in a strapped, light mint green dress with matching high heels while another servant was brushing her hair. Alice had insisted that she could do it herself, though the servant declined.

"Do you might know why Lady Fabia is here all of a sudden?" Alice questioned as she forced back a yelp of pain.

"I have heard from milord that the Lady is here with her guard, Ren, for a negotiation visit." The maid replied.

"Oh...I see." The young girl slowly managed out. Back when she was still a commoner and was not arranged to be married to Klaus, Alice remembered very clearly the event between the Lady of Neathia and the ninja. The whole town was buzzing about it; there were even newspapers written about the two of them. According to a newspaper that her grandfather read aloud during breakfast, Ren Krawler, the ninja, was supposedly in Sheen Manor, attempting to rob the royal family, when Lord Jin, Lady Fabia's fiance, tried to stop the thief and the two men were battling against each other. Ultimately, Ren nearly killed Lord Jin, but for some reason that no one seemed to fathom, Lady Fabia pardoned the thief and he became her guard, never leaving her side.

The servant finished as she tied a white ribbon to finish of Alice's ponytail. "There you are, milady. Oh! And don't forgot your sun hat!" The maid handed her lady a white sun hat as Alice thanked her.

Pretty soon, the young commoner was escorted from her room to the gazebo outside, which was decorated with a white cloaked table along with a vase of colorful roses as well as tea and pastries. As Alice neared the table, she found a purple haired lady with a side ponytail wearing a lavender corset topped dress. Her future husband- in-law was there as well, along with a white-haired male wearing a khaki colored coat that had two tails, a pair of black boots, standing at the lady's side.

"Ah, there she is! Alice! " Klaus exclaimed pleasantly as Alice forced a smile, while taking a seat that a nearby servant had pulled out for her.

"Um, hello. You must be Lady Fabia. I am-" Alice began.

"Lady Alice? I've heard about you for quite awhile. I don't know if you know this, but you were the talk between royals for quite some time." The Neathian royal smiled quite too cheerfully in Alice's opinion, as if she was happy that there was someone else that got as much horrified attention as her. "I apologize for my fiancé's absence. However, this is my...guard, Ren." The orange haired beauty noticed that the purple haired royal's nearly giddy expression turned forced for a moment before she recomposed herself.

"It's nice to meet you, Ren." She smiled as she gave the retired ninja a small nod.

The guard bowed. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Alice." As the male looked up, he slowly stopped and stared at her. Alice shifted uncomfortably. Why was he staring at her? Did he look down at her, as if she was the one of the beggars, the lowest ones of the whole caste system, because of her forced marriage to Klaus? Or was it because of her dress? She didn't seem to suit light green as much as yellow and pastel pink, but it should not have looked _that_ bad on her.

Klaus scoffed. "Alice, what is that around your neck?" He made a show, grimacing and tugging at the choker around her neck. "It's...plain, no wonder why Ren was staring at it. Why didn't you wear the diamond necklace I gave you? Furthermore, who would give you such a piece of jewelry?!"

Alice pulled away from Klaus and glared at him. "This is a choker that...the wind threw at me and...I think it's lovely." She smiled gently as she touched the choker with a delicate finger.

Ren coughed, finally standing up straight. "Count Klaus, Lady Alice, I apologize for what I have done earlier. The necklace around Lady Alice's neck reminded me of...someone."

The orange haired girl forced back a sigh she wanted to exhale and faked a smile. "It's all right, Ren. Oh! The tea must be getting cold! Would you like some tea, Lady Fabia?" Alice brushed the subject away, busying herself with trying to move the tea party along.

* * *

"I don't believe you." Masquerade grunted as he took out the sword out of one of Lord Lync's servants that he had just plunged in.

"What?" Shun asked rather cockily as he stepped over the dead body to the chest of valuables that the servant was trying to protect. The raven head male scoffed as he swiftly filled a brown sack with the treasures that the Volans had kept sacred. How easy.

"Your choker. There is no way that you could have lost it. It's your dead mother's choker, for God's sake!" The blonde scoffed as the two fled the Volan Mansion. "C'mon, tell me the truth. A secret from an elite ninja to another."

"I didn't lose it. An angel from heaven kept it safe for me." A small smile passed the ninja's lips and no matter how much his other fellow ninja persisted him to explain what he meant, Shun didn't reply, but his smile stayed the same.

* * *

 **end of chapter 2.**

Note: AHHH! OH ME GAWD, it sounds so terrible and cringey! AHHH! Please review and I am so sorry if you are slowly dying about how terrible it is.


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